This article contains major spoilers for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, now streaming on Netflix.
To fans of Cyberpunk 2077, the Sandevistan is well known as an Operating System cyberware implant that triggers a status effect allowing users to slow down their perception of time and take down opponents before they even know what hit them.
Alternatively, its depiction in the spin-off anime series Cyberpunk Edgerunners diverges slightly from that of its counterpart in Cyberpunk 2077, despite the many similarities they undoubtedly share. Introduced as a military-grade implant that comes with a high risk of cyberpsychosis, the Sandevistan is protagonist David Martinez's signature piece of cyberware and is often portrayed as the reason for his rise to prominence among the upper echelon of Night City's mercenaries.
The Implant To End All Implants
As opposed to its in-game version, the anime portrays the Sandevistan as a spinal implant that is directly fused to a user's back, which allows them to similarly slow down their perception of time to a degree that leaves normal bystanders unable to discern or even react to their movements in any capacity — unless they possess one of their own, of course.
Appearing in the opening scene of the anime, equipped on the back of a NUSA (New United States of America) military officer Lieutenant Colonel James Norris, the true power of a military grade Sandevistan is shown in full force as he quickly uses it to dispatch a slew of police officers during an armed rampage in Corpo Plaza at the heart of Night City. Norris himself was armed to the teeth with cyberware including mantis blades, a projectile launch system, body plating, and subdermal armor, which cumulatively led to his succumbing to an extreme bout of cyberpsychosis.
Recovered from the scene of his subsequent demise at the hands of MaxTac operatives by EMT Gloria Martinez, this extremely potent piece of cyberware eventually falls into the hands of her son David, who proceeds to implant it onto his own spine, after a series of unfortunate circumstances leaves his life in ruins.
Miraculously, even after taking virtually no immunoblockers after the procedure, he rapidly masters the implant's capabilities, surpassing conventional limits of its usage to great effect, firing it up a whopping eight times in a single a day on his first outing before inevitably collapsing from exhaustion.
Moving Faster Than The Eye Can See
David's triggering of the status effect in the anime is portrayed through a warping sound effect followed by the production of greenish-blue tinged after images during movement, that serve to highlight his enhanced speed in contrast to stationary opponents. His enhanced reflexes and movement effectively permit him to dodge gunfire, casually weave between multiple opponents and dispatch them in rapid succession, or make split-second adjustments to negate his adversaries' countermeasures.
Over the course of the show, his prowess with the implant reaches such heights that he is able to move faster than speeding vehicles or zip across battlefields and confront innumerable opponents before they even know what hit them. When shown in real time, Studio Trigger's animation makes use of motion blur to offer just enough information for viewers to gauge the trajectory of David's movements.
On this note, Cyberpunk 2077's depiction of the implant has exerted a visible influence on the anime, where activation is immediately followed by an identical sound as well as a greenish-blue hue imparted on a user's field of vision. Where the two versions diverge is in the frequency with which the Sandevistan can be used.
Whereas David is constantly shown using it in shorts bursts of quick succession, the in-game version activates for a set duration after which it undergoes a cooldown period that can range from 15 seconds to a minute depending on the model equipped. However, this can be circumvented through modifications that gradually reduce this duration up to a point where it can even rival David's own proficiency.
The Pitfalls Of Cutting Loose
Along with its amplification of a user's speed and reflexes, the Sandevistan also indirectly increases strength exponentially by virtue of the sheer force exerted when moving at superhuman speeds. David's confrontation with Katsuo Tanaka stands testament to this, where, despite his slim build and wiry frame, he was able to easily overpower his bully and send him flying with a single punch, requiring little to no effort overall. This facet of the implant reaches absurd proportions towards the end of the storyline as David adds more cutting-edge cyberware to his collection — to the point where his speed allows him to mow down entire convoys of armored vehicles in next to no time.
However, all these benefits come at a great cost, where users are readily susceptible to the debilitating consequences of rapid-onset cyberpsychosis due their organic brains being unable to handle the sheer mental and physical toll taken by repeated usage. Hence, it's no stretch to see even a seasoned veteran like Norris succumbing to mental decline quite rapidly following his usage of the Sandevistan, together with all his other implants. However, in David's case, his incredibly high tolerance for cyberware, innate compassion, and the strong bonds that he shares with those close to him are the only reasons he is able to endure sustained usage of the implant, while pushing himself to extremes.